Bangkok View image was good but Chiang Mai is somethin' else. There's so much to do that I've extended my stay. Hiking up north View image, biking, cooking, eating, drinking, rafting, riding. Where do I start?

I signed on with Panda Tours for a 2 day trek through some mountains up north. We walked through bamboo and teak forests and took in some scenic views. My co-trekkers consisted of four fit, dangerously cute Aussie birds View image. A witty bunch they were, entertaining me with Simpsons and Seinfeld quotes, their down-under accents making it that much funnier. After four mostly uphill hours we spent the night in a bamboo hut in a small village overlooking a valley. Beautiful indeed.

The next day was a breeze. We walked (and sometimes slid or fell) downhill, rode elephants, then finished up with a tame whitewater rafting trip. No, nothing even close to Nile intensity rapids but the mountain views were nice.

I spent the next day in cooking class. It was time to expand my culinary repertoire beyond grilled chicken and banana pancakes. America has Peace Corps, but Thailand should have a development organisation devoted to improving the rest of the world's cooking. Call it Culinary Corps. Send some Thais over to West Africa and teach people how to make rice taste good. Oh, and sticky sweet rice with mangos is the bomb.

I rediscovered my love of biking the last two days. This afternoon I had lunch in a park then walked through impressive Chiang Mai Zoo. The giant Pandas were neat, munching on their bamboo. I also saw some very pretty cats: tigers, panthers and jaguars.

People don't honk in Chiang Mai. No use horn. Road rage thankfully doesn't exist here. I zipped through rush hour traffic on a mountain bike--sometimes forgetting that traffic moves on the left--and, rather than run you over and take your money, people just smile and yield. Amazing.

I take the train to Bangkok on Jan 29. I fly to Sydney by way of Saigon Feb 1. Australia and New Zealand have a hard act to follow.